Dead Sea Scrolls Dispute Leads to a 6-Month Jail Sentence

By JOHN ELIGON

Published: November 19, 2010

A man convicted of impersonating a New York University scholar in a debate over the Dead Sea Scrolls was sentenced on Thursday to six months in jail and five years' probation.

The man, Raphael Haim Golb, was taken from a courtroom in State Supreme Court in Manhattan in handcuffs, after which one of his lawyers headed to the appellate division to ask that he be allowed to remain free pending appeal.

Mr. Golb, 50, a real estate lawyer, was convicted in September on 30 of 31 counts, including identity theft, criminal impersonation and aggravated harassment.

Mr. Golb's father, Norman, is a prominent University of Chicago professor who studies the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Prosecutors said that Mr. Golb established e-mail accounts pretending to be Lawrence H. Schiffman, the N.Y.U. scholar and professor, and sent messages to university officials making a fabricated admission of plagiarism.

Mr. Golb testified that the e-mails were merely parodies, but he maintained that he did believe Professor Schiffman had plagiarized from his father. Professor Schiffman denied those accusations.

Professors Schiffman and Golb have long been on opposite sides of the debate on the origin of the scrolls.

John Bandler, an assistant district attorney, said he believed that Mr. Golb should get the maximum sentence of one and a third to four years in prison.

''He showed no remorse at any time and continues to blame others - the victims, the district attorney's office and the court - for his own conduct,'' Mr. Bandler told Justice Carol Berkman.

Mr. Golb read a statement in which he expressed some remorse, but also delved into the philosophical and academic arguments behind his actions. Mr. Golb has a Ph.D. from Harvard.

I can only say that if I have indeed violated the law, I am terribly sorry and have no choice but to accept whatever the consequences are for me,'' Mr. Golb said.

In sentencing Mr. Golb, Justice Berkman said that his conduct ''constituted a deliberate invasion of the substantial privacy interests of his victims.''

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

PHOTO: Raphael Haim Golb will serve time in jail for impersonating an N.Y.U. professor who he believed had plagiarized from his father. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN MARSHALL MANTEL FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)